


The Willow Tree

by ohmythief



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: (to be added) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Knights & Dragons, M/M, Princess & Mermaids, Strangers to Lovers, What is beta read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23937541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmythief/pseuds/ohmythief
Summary: ”Did you really come all the way here just to escape your grandma?”“If you put it like that,” she drew a finger to her lips ever so slightly tapping on them and pretending to think hard before finally answering with completely resolute “Yes, yes I did”———Leon is The Unbeatable Knight of the Galar Kingdom, on his quest to save Princess Sonia.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Rurina | Nessa/Sonia
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

As far as his memory goes, Leon has always been known as The Unbeatable. Even now, and forever more.

There was no almighty beast, nor foe too big, too strong or too scary for Leon. They were all meant to fall by the skillful wield of his trusty flaming sword that has become an extension of his own body given the years of his long journey and all the stories he had gathered behind his name by his own blood and sweat.

No one (as far as the Galar Kingdom goes) hasn’t heard about the fantastic adventures of The Unbeatable Leon.

He had walked through unforgiving desserts, the highest top of the mountains, the extended wild areas and the most remote unknown, surfacing on each quest completely unharmed. 

So of course when word has spread, and his big head completely thrilled with the new knowledge nonetheless, that the Princess Sonia was trapped in a tower guarded by a merciless dragon… Well, he immediately prepared to set off.

And with the assurance that he will bring his childhood friend back, completely safe and sound, he parted ways with the worried party with a hopeful farewell. For it was The Unbeatable Leon, and he always returns.

  
So he began his stroll with confidence on each step as he crossed the path that finally led him to the enchanted forest. A smile stuck on his face and his heart beating wildly measuring his love for a real adventure unfolding.

He withdrew his sword from its sheath and with a swift swirl in the air, it caught up in flames that lighted the narrow path ahead and scorched the thick vines and trunks on his way. It also alerted any wild beasts and smart foreigners to stay back. 

It was, as one might say, a piece of cake. This honestly disheartened him a little, because maybe he overestimated the quest but it’s not like he could turn back now. The chance that perhaps it was not that it seemed easy, but instead that he was too good for this certainly soothed him at the end. For Leon, there was no other way but up. And he has come a long way and one might meet the top sooner than later. Perhaps he was nearing that point. 

Either way, up he stared at the tall stone tower before him. He took a deep breath, his stance wide, chest out and proud, one fist on his waist while his free hand hung high. 

He cleared his throat and smiled, “Princess Sonia! It is I, the Unbeatable Leon. I have come to thy rescue against the wild dragon that hounds you” 

Nothing really happened, and it probably had to do with the damsel not being able to hear him yet. That has to be.

He spoke again, louder and clear “Princess Sonia, please reassure this knight with thy wellbeing showing your face over the window” 

Still without answer. The moment as still as it could be, aside from the leaves dancing and the impatient tap of Leon’s foot against the ground.

“Um, pretty please?” 

He looked around expecting some kind of explanation from the forest, but he got nothing of the sort. Perhaps this wasn’t it? Did he take a wrong turn? Not like it hasn’t happened before… Or, more likely than he wanted to admit.

Instead, as he strained his ears, he picked something peculiar. A breathy laugh hidden in the woods. Something was blatantly snickering near him, or more likely… someone was laughing at him.

Hurt and annoyed, Leon frowned and glared at different spots all around him trying to find the source of the mocking.

And he finally found it. Two pair of eyes staring him up and down, a curious hint falling on them. His dark skin helped him mingle with the woods around his tall frame. The only thing that gave him away was the intensity of his teal eyes, but with his concealment blown away the guy didn’t seem to care anymore and instead started padding towards the offended knight. The second thing he noticed was that the rim of his cloak was burnt, and the eye-catching collar made out of big and sharp fangs that hung all the way from his neck to quite low on his chest.

The slumped figure confidently strolled until he was admittedly too close to Leon, his deep gaze staring the knight down. He said nothing but a hint of a smile crossed his features.

Leon struggled to summon his voice and intelligently said “Um, hi”

This only made the stranger’s chest rumble with contended laughter, but at last he spoke “Salutations, Unbeatable Leon”

“Wha- Wait, you know me?”

The stranger allowed a wide grin to split his face taking a few steps back. The burn on Leon’s ears didn’t leave though “Aside from you sharing it out loud in the middle of the woods, yeah of course I recognize your big head” 

Feeling his own face heat up in anger (or embarrassment, but the wild man didn’t need to know that), Leon prepared to argue but the tall man just turned around and hid again “Hey, wait!” he shouted, but no one answered.

He thought of chasing the other man, but fought against it and instead stared up at the silent tower probably mocking him right now. He supposed that he just got lost, again. 

This quest just became a pain in his ass.

  
With his heart settled in conquering, he decided to retreat fast in long strides with the chance to start over, but this time carefully dictating the correct path. At the end, he found a second tower. Not as tall, but it was big enough. 

Again, he took a deep breath but spared the theatrics and shouted infinitely less smooth than the first try “Hey Sonia, are you up there?”

His whole body shook in rage as another cackle of laughter came out of the thick branches. He recognized the voice almost immediately.

“Alright, what’s so funny?! And also my head is not too big!”

Of course the expected stranger walked out of his hideout shaking with amusement at the bewildered state of the knight “Except that it is too big, and your almighty ass is completely and irrefutably lost”

Leon growled and started to stomp his way out of the clearing feeling tired and humiliated. Before he could take more than a couple of steps though, his body crashed on something and unceremoniously fell on his butt. 

A sharp pain shook his body and he bit down a cry, instead glaring at the body standing in front of him.

“Oops, I didn’t mean to startle you-“

“Then you should have watched where you were going-“

“Touché, but it’s not like you were paying attention either-“

“Alright, that’s enough! Don’t you have something better to do?!”

The stranger kneeled before him and smiled, his eyes locked on the pools of honey that were Leon’s eyes “Honestly, I do not. ‘Guess I’m bored and enjoy teasing pretty boys”

Leon’s breath hitched. His body answered accordingly and he pushed the man away while getting back on his feet “That’s enough” he glared at the man below and noticed his saccharine grin still on place “Next time we see each other we will meet eyes as enemies. I have no time to spare as a princess relies-“

He was abruptly interrupted by the man’s laughter once again. Leon watched as the man hugged his sides and his mirth became loud intakes of breath.

Tired of the man’s bullshit he finally unsheathed his sword and drew a shattered gasp from the man’s mouth at the time his eyes settled on the offending blade. “I won’t ask you twice” his voice didn’t stutter “What is it that you find so hilarious?”

The toothed grin returned to the tall stranger as he stood up and seemed to study Leon, completely unbothered by the sword between them “Nothing really,” the purple haired knight rolled his eyes unconvinced “Fine, I know where your beloved Princess is”

“Should have said that in the very beginning” he put away his sword and visibly relaxed. The poor man felt relief washing on him as he saw himself lost in the woods for days to come “Speak then, um…”

“Raihan”

“Right… Raihan”

The finally named man sighed before finally wording his thoughts “Fine. But I will lead, and you better follow me close”

Lean gulped down at the scrutinizing gaze of Raihan. Together, they began to walk through the enchanted forest.

  
“What makes you think that this Princess Sonia actually wants to be saved?” Raihan said after a long hour of uncomfortable silence on his end. The other half was a few feet behind and was more fixated on the way the sunset reflected on his companion’s dark skin. It wasn’t until said man stopped and Leon had no choice but snap out of it before colliding against him.

The wild man arched an eyebrow as Leon’s brain registered the words that left the other’s mouth a while ago. Raihan was about to resume their stroll when the knight finally said “What do you mean? She has been abducted from her village. Of course she wants to be saved”

“Oh, really?” Raihan hummed lively.

“Really” Leon answered annoyed and with his eyes locked on Raihan’s “Her grandmother warned me about a wild dragon confining her inside the top of a high tower so it’s nothing to laugh about”

“If you say so” the wild man began to walk away but was suddenly stopped by Leon pulling his elbow. He turned around and found the angered knight’s face a few inches apart. His teal eyes shone fiercely as they detailed the good man’s features “What is it?”

The close proximity made Raihan’s breath tickle his purple hair and Leon’s anger was soon forgotten, replaced by a sheepish side glance to the wild around. Whatever he wanted to say, it was caught in his throat.

They didn’t move for a short while. The sound of the evening beasts surrounding them while a peaceful night spread in the enchanted forest caught to them. A soft lullaby composed by the chirping and hooting of the animals reminded them that it was probably best to find a place to rest, for it was late and the night uncertain.

“We might want to find some shelter for now” said the knight.

“I don’t think so” Raihan left him confused on the spot and walked towards a crooked willow tree. He lazily stretched before his fingers tangled in the tree’s elongated branches that nearly touched the ground.

A howl disturbed the peaceful silence somewhere behind them “Do you have a death wish?”

“No, not particularly. It’s just that we are almost there” 

Leon scanned the area and dragged a hand down his face as a new realization fell on him “I should have known it was a trap all along”

The teal eyes carried a light on its own watching the stressed knight intently, even if the darkness of the night threatened to swallow them. His charming smile shone with the same intensity twisting Leon’s guts and heating his face “Have some trust, I always intended to guide you here”

“Where exactly? Did you mean getting even more lost in the middle of the enchanted forest?” his arms shook wildly at his sides trying to get his point across.

“I mean, yes” Leon threw his hands in the air and growled at the dark sky “But this is exactly where you wanted to go” and before the purple haired knight could begin arguing again, he was swallowed by the willow tree leaving the man alone and possibly frightened.

Undoubtedly frightened. 

Leon summoned his flaming sword and slowly approached the willow tree. A shadow from behind got him steadying his breath with his back against the tree’s trunk. Whatever was trying to ambush him, Leon was not going to give them the pleasure of stabbing him in the back. 

And instead of either falling bravely to his demise or engaging into a fierce battle, arms wrapped around his waist and he let out a dry cry while he was being pulled from behind. His golden eyes glared at the willow’s tree treason before everything turned black.

  
After a few heartbeats, there was light again. 

There was light everywhere and he thought that maybe he survived the night and somehow his body woke in the middle of a wide clearing, but the full moon above proved his reasoning wrong.

He sat up with his hand rubbing the back of his neck and panned to spot two things: first, Raihan sitting with his eyes closed and his dark skin bathing in the moonlight. His elbows propped on the grass as his face tilted left and right slowly in sync with the second sight: a small lake that reflected the light and illuminated the whole clearing. On one of its far ends there was an underwater cavern that certainly gave way to a bigger water source. Finally and more importantly, right in the middle of the effervescent lake stood a tower glistening with the clear refraction on the moonlight in beautiful waves that constantly shifted on its stone surface with the same rhythm in which Raihan’s head bowed slightly.

When the tall man finally stilled and his eyes fluttered open, he was greeted with golden eyes shamelessly staring at him.

As a smug grin settled on the wild man’s face, Leon snapped out of it and found it in himself to stand and focus on the relevant side of the clearing. Never mind that his face was on fire, nonsense.

“Is this where Princess Sonia is confined? I don’t see any wild dragon” he heard Raihan leaving his passive position joining beside Leon.

“Princess Sonia is inside that tower? Yes, she is” he then walked away and sat this time near the lake. Leon absentmindedly followed him, stopping behind the tall man and meeting his eyes upon the reflection casted on the water “Is something the matter, pretty boy?”

Leon avoided his piercing eyes staring curiously elsewhere. He heard a soft giggle joining the natural sounds of the lake and the clearing “Why would a dragon choose a lake? It would be easy to exploit this weakness”

Raihan hummed in thought, or so the knight believed “Maybe you got a few things mixed up”

“What do you mean, exactly?”

“Maybe it wasn’t the dragon’s choice, but the damsel’s”

Leon looked exasperated at this point, grunting out his response “That makes no sense at all”. He decided to study the tower and how to properly climb it.

But given the short history of his companion’s teasing and the possibility of this being joke, he thought that a verbal approach was better to begin with.

And so, he took a deep breath for the third time in this awful journey and called out for the princess. Before he could shout her name again, a blunt object hit his forehead as he stumbled and rolled on the ground.

He cried in pain, feeling a bruise surely painting his skin and swelling in a matter of seconds. At the background, he recognized Raihan’s unforgiving laughter and wheezing.

The knight jumped on his feet wielding his knife preparing for the next attack, completely ignoring Raihan sprawled on the grass a few feet away. He supposed the wild dragon to make its appearance right then, but definitely didn’t expect the real Princess Sonia glaring at him carrying hazardous objects between her arms.

Before he could speak eloquently, she cried out his name “Leon! What the fuck are you doing here?!”

Venom dragged down her words as she produced a small wooden box from her belongings and threatened to aim at his head once again. 

Leon was used at her bad temper by now, but seeing the princess this mad after so long only made him stutter a simple “Um, wha-“, given his well-placed confusion at the events unfolding. It didn’t stop Sonia at all when she threw the object at him.

The knight protected his face with his arms, but the hit never came. Instead, an enormous wave of heat was produced between the two childhood friends and the wooden box was roasted to ashes. With its remaining falling on the grass and the wall of fire extinguished, both princess and knight fixed their gaze on Raihan with completely different emotions falling on their faces. Said man was now occupying the exact place where the box was a second ago, his mouth hanging slightly open and exhaling smoke.

On his side, Sonia seemed even more frustrated than before and she accusingly pointed her index finger towards the tall man “What do you think you are doing?! Are you on his side now?” but his teal eyes didn’t meet hers.

Instead, Raihan was focused on Leon’s pale face expecting the news to finally hit the man like a cold bucket of water. 

His golden eyes finally reached the conclusion and Raihan sighed heavily waiting for Leon’s judgment on his nature “Wait a second,” any time now the knight will turn up his nose in disgust and remind him of all the calamities Raihan’s ancestors had brought upon humans “You are the dragon!” 

He couldn’t meet those golden irises swallowed in anger and thirst for revenge. It’s not like The Unbeatable Leon with his ego constantly fed and proud, conqueror of quests and wild beasts, would try to understand the impartiality required to understand that humans have also brought danger to the dragon species and nearly pulling them towards extinction. Pushing them to a weaker evolutionary line where they assumed humanoid’s forms.

As Sonia has put it before, The Unbeatable Leon was an airhead gratified by glory. Raihan had a hundred years of experience and he was convinced that intelligent and comprehensive humans like Sonia were few. That’s why he decided to help the girl on the first place.

But alas, Leon was… Too much of an airhead.

That’s why when Raihan finally built courage to meet Leon’s eyes again he was surprised to find honest happiness, and not a single hint of disgust on those pools of honey.

Sonia’s dissatisfied grunt snapped them out of… whatever they were up to “Leon, you need to leave now!”

“But I came here to save you!” his eyes wavered with concern as they shifted between the princess and the dragon “Don’t tell me- Is Raihan the one threatening your life?”

Leon again pulled his sword between him and the taller man (Man? Beast? Both? It didn’t matter for him right now), but his arms were shaking and his stance was weak. For Raihan, it would be so easy to disarm the knight and finish the fight before it even started, which didn’t make sense at all. Even less the puzzled stare he was giving the dragon, but still not a single hint of chagrin.

“What? I never asked anyone to same me, even less you of all people” Sonia let out an exasperated sigh and dropped the various objects to the ground “What made you think that way? Was it grandma?” the princess crossed her arms and wore a tired expression that aged her in the spot.

“Um, yes? She said you were trapped up in a tower and that I ought to bring you home” his sword now hung loosely on his right hand, no longer pointing at Raihan. 

Suddenly, the dragon started laughing wholeheartedly driving both pairs of eyes to fall on him. The childhood friends exchanged glances once before pointedly staring again at the taller man. 

Raihan took a while to recompose himself and attempted to find his voice.

When his teal eyes opened and shone with mischief, his gaze fell directly on Leon “You can’t always assume that just because the words Princess and Up in a tower are in the same sentence, that said damsel would be in distress expecting to be saved” Raihan shook his head, laughter again building in his throat “Like, that’s misogynist…”

Leon stared the dragon with a defeated expression written all over his face and on his slumped shoulders “I don’t even know what that means”, he said weakly and honest.

“Oh no” the tall man struggled to breathe for a second, his hand sheltering his face while he tried to find his voice again “You are adorable”

Sonia rolled her eyes at the ridiculous exchange while Leon’s skin started to heat up everywhere “I’m glad that you self-proclaimed quest brought literal fire on your otherwise dead love life”

Raihan chocked and began coughing wildly, sparks of weak fire coming out of his mouth. Leon’s brain could only carry him so far, only focusing on the first bit of Sonia’s sarcastic statement “Wait, but it was not self-proclaimed. Your grandma is worried about you-“

“No thanks, my grandma only wants me back so I can find new ways to disappoint her. I would rather live locked in a tower with rabid beasts around me” she retreated from their small assemble, walking towards the tower with her hand waving Leon goodbye in the air “Thanks for nothing Lee, please distribute the news that I died. If they don’t believe it I can always send a burnt heart-shaped brooch and grandma will happily start arranging my funeral”

“Sonia, wait-“

She faced them again and spoke freely “Oh, but say hi to your little brother. I did like him. Or maybe say nothing, it’s a bad idea” 

“Sonia” he said sternly. The princess finally met Leon’s eyes and inquired in whatever bothered the purple haired man “Did you really come all the way here just to escape your grandma?”

“If you put it like that,” she drew a finger to her lips ever so slightly tapping on them and pretending to think hard before finally answering with completely resolute “Yes, yes I did”

Leon was, as he might put it, at a loss of words. A princess that did not wish to be saved was clearly beyond his thoughts and beliefs throughout the years he has traveled far and wide. And how was he supposed to proceed then? What was he meant to say to the old Magnolia now?

A hand was placed loosely on his arm. He met Sonia’s soft eyes “Look, I know you are worried about going back empty handed but I really don’t want to return there”

The purple haired man opened his mouth to argue but he firstly noticed a fast movement at the corner of his eyes. His reflexes acted accordingly and he caught the thing thrown at him. He detailed the fang now secured his grasp, big enough that it easily surpassed the width of both of Leon’s hand spread open and gingerly balancing out its weight.

His golden eyes confronted Raihan’s puzzled gaze “Call it a present. This way you won’t be going back empty-handed. Say that you killed the beast but got too late, or something”

The dragon shut his eyes and started to walk away, not before showing off a wide grin. Leon noticed that it didn’t meet his teal eyes, “Where are you going?” he suddenly felt afraid of the answer.

Raihan didn’t turn around but stopped shortly to speak, “I’m no longer needed here. ‘Guess I will be around”

His feet began dragging him out of the clearing with something hit the back of his head. The dragon spit fire before glaring back at the two humans and then at the offensive object on the grass. It was his own fang “I don’t want it”

The dragon snickered, “So what, you plan on delivering the real thing? Is that how it is-”

“What? No! That’s not my concern-” 

Sonia gasped beside the purple haired knight and her fist stroke his arm, “Are you going to drag me back-“

“No! Would you both shut up?” Leon’s shout made them flinch as it was carried all over the wide clearing. Both stared dumbfounded at the riled knight, even the fire spitting dragon was afraid to emit a single word. He first looked at Sonia and the girl shivered beneath his golden eyes “Sonia, you can do whatever you want but you can’t just disappear. You ought to tell your grandma. She is worried about you, you know?”

The princess decided to focus on a peculiar spot on the ground below, not necessarily glad to be reprimanded by Leon of all people.

Leon ignored the girl’s state and instead walked towards Raihan. He picked the sharp tooth and carefully tied it up again on his necklace. His fingers skillfully brought together the piece, but both men refused to look at the other. 

“Thank you” Raihan was the first to break the silence, and a low grunt was all he received.

Until the purple haired man coughed a couple of times before deciding on his next choice of words, “I’m not sure where we stand so I got to admit I would only get lost on my way back. Would you mind being my guide?”

“Um,”

Leon swallowed down hard, regretting everything that led him to this point. He distracted himself looking for Sonia but she was nowhere to find. Wherever she was though, Leon was certain that she was not going to lose sight of them.

He finally met up with Raihan’s eyes and found that his dark skin was carrying a deep shade of red over his nose and cheeks. But for some reason, Leon felt completely calm even before the dragon nodded in agreement.

Raihan gingerly grabbed the knight’s hand on his own, pulling him back to the middle of the clearing where they sat together by the foot of the tower.

“We will wait until morning to leave” and wait they did.

With Raihan’s breath he lit a fireplace to warm the human beside him. Before either could decide to rest, they began talking about themselves. Raihan ancestor’s experiences of being able to soar along the clear skies and telling the stories from the old times. How they described the wind beneath their heavy and beautiful wings and how much he would have enjoyed it, instead of being contained in this human form. He laughed at Leon’s innocent questions like But you are still stronger than humans, right? And the promise of how he will bring dragon’s free will back. No longer obliged to hide.

Raihan decided to derail his questioning and start talking about Leon’s accomplishments even when he was a child. And how it was so important to him, and to his little brother Hop that admired him and saw his big bro as a big time hero. They talked long and wide about stupid things, important things, sad and happy stuff that gave away the night sky between laughter, longing smiles and sheepish eyes.

When the sun was finally seeping through the leaves and with Raihan’s mirth sending shivers down Leon’s body. So strong that they lingered even after the taller man could hold back his laughter, with that annoyingly sweet and loop sided smile hanging on his face. 

The knight built courage to grab a fistful of the others cloak right beneath his necklace and pulled him down, down until their lips met in a kiss that almost got Leon’s whole face burnt by Raihan’s surprise.

They laughed, embarrassed beyond words with their skin flushed red. And when they stopped and stared at each other reading the other’s mind, they tried once more.

And they tried a third time.

And they tried again, until they forgot to count.


	2. Chapter 2

She was running like her life depended on it. Which might have been, given that she wasn’t sure where her feet were leading her. She just wanted to be far away from her grandma.

Away from her home, away from any expectations they had of her. All which she couldn’t reach.

Her tiny fists struggled in the air, trying to aim and punch every offending branch in her way. She was sure her small legs couldn’t carry her too far. So when she finally fell on the dampened grass with her dress dirty with mud and dead leaves, her eyes panned her surroundings and swallowed a gasp of surprise. She didn’t recognize a single thing. 

Sonia found herself lost deep in the forest at the age of six. She dropped a bitter laugh, remembering her best friend and how the tables have turned this time. The young child which she called Lee was well known for always getting lost without Sonia. 

When she tried to kneel, she flinched at the sudden itch in her legs and arms. A few cuts were evident in her light skin, each stinging and overwhelming her senses. She hugged herself and recoiled in a small ball in the middle of nowhere. When she closed her eyes she could feel them heavy with redness and dried tears. Her pale lips trembling with fear and cold, sometimes giving away small hiccups from the shivering child.

Sonia didn’t know how long she stayed lying on the cold grass, but she blacked out. The last thing her blurry eyes saw was a willow tree swaying in the wind. It looked so sad, like the child before it. The small princess was afraid that the tree was waving farewell. But she was so tired, and alone.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


When she woke up, she smelled something minty and hung heavily in the air. She could feel a growing headache, so she groaned when she sat up. With her hands with fistfuls of green grass, she noticed small patches of bright green leaves all over her body covering whatever bruises and cuts she remembered having.

She rubbed her eyes, no longer swollen from hours of crying in frustration and noticed a fresh leave on her cheek. Her fingers traced it before taking it away. Sonia stood up and brushed the leaves off, along with the dirt on her dress to no avail. Grandma was surely going to give her an earful for ruining the dress. But whatever. 

She was about to leave in a hurry, the entire situation flying over her head. By the age of six she was more concerned about going back home and how furious her Grandma would be with her. She was going to be grounded forever. 

A crunch of leaves stopped her from taking another step. She turned around with fear, waiting for a monster to threaten her. Instead, she noticed… Everything else.

Sonia saw the clearing she was in. For a second, she was scared by how far home she has gotten. She doesn’t remember any clearings on the path home. She has never seen any. Not even when she was out looking for Lee, who got himself lost again.

The beauty of the clearing drove her worries away. Her teal eyes spotted the pound in the middle of the well illuminated open space. The trees were tightly put together, like a fortress that avoided any light from outside except for the big open screen on her head. She could see the beautiful colors of the dusk. And even then the clearing should have this amount of brightness, but the clear water of the pound reflected it everywhere. It was beautiful.

Her eyes marveled the mysterious aura that the stone tower held right in the middle of the pond. By that time, she gasped at how big it looked. From her spot, she could only imagine that the tiny arch was a window giving into the inside of the tower. But she couldn’t be certain, it was too high up.

She remembered the sound from before and focused again in looking for the source. Given the description of the clearing, it was impossible that a big creature could hide in this big open space. It has nowhere to hide. Maybe the pound, but she definitely heard something stepping on dry autumn leaves.

Giving her back to the clearing, she saw a willow tree as the only different wall. It was broad and light in contrast, its leaves swaying happily. It was seemingly the only way out the clearing (out where, exactly? She will figure it out, she has to).

Before walking over there, she noticed a small foot giving away tits owner’s hideout. The princess waited patiently for them to walk out but nothing happened for a few seconds. She was beginning to grow impatient, but soon bright cyan eyes peeked from the tree. They immediately hid back again, retreating foot and everything behind the trunk. She could hear a childish voice cursing in the air.

“I know you are there, come out already” she balled her hands in tiny fists, ready to punch her way free from her captor. Or so she thought anyway.

A small kid strolled out, the big cyan eyes warily watching the small girl. 

“Let me go in peace of suffer”

The kid with the same stature as Sonia snickered “You can’t lay a hand on me, I’m a dragon man”

“More like a tiny, scared boy. Don’t come near me!”

His hand wiped his nose before going back beneath the cloak that was too big for his scrawny frame “I’m prob’ a kid, but you forgot the dragon part”

Sonia was about to call on his idiocy, when the boy spit a small wall of fire. It was tiny, but it came from his mouth. It was enough to scare her, taking a couple of steps back “Don’t come near me!”

“Oh, whose the scaredy cat now?” he smiled smugly. His fingers jamming in the air trying to add to the threat, a lick of fire escaping from his lips.

She swallowed and stood her ground. Because she was not scared of a kid slightly shorter than her “You can’t be a dragon, they do not exist anymore”

“Says who?” he rolled his eyes, arms crossed and a lopsided grin on his face.

“Says everyone. No one has seen them in centuries” she glared at the kid, hiding her trembling fists behind her “You are probably a wizard, or someone cursed with breath of fire”

“Is that a real curse, though?”

She thought hard on it, but nothing came to her. The princess was too proud though, “Of course it is! Everyone knows that”

“Just like everyone says dragons aren’t real yet, here I am” 

“But you don’t have scales or wings, you don’t even scare me”

The kid moved to the left, Sonia following after him but on the opposite “Then why are you shaking?”

Sonia stomped on the grass and walked closer to the kid “I’m not! See? You can’t intimidate a princess”

He seemed amused by the sudden title thrown so easily between then, sparks of fire flew out of his human ears “A princess? Didn’t you know that dragons like eating them? And get them caged in towers” his head bowed towards the stone tower standing in the middle of the clearing.

She followed his gaze, and hummed in thought “Why in the middle of a lake, though? Isn’t water your weakness or something? You are a terrible dragon then”

The kid flicked his tongue, annoyance falling on his features as his foot patted the grass insistently like he had enough “Gosh, princesses are always this annoying?”

He started walking towards the tower and Sonia deduced it might have been his home, but many questions flooded her mind. She wasn’t still convinced about all of this, and she even thought that she might be dreaming and later on will wake up with a swollen bruise on her head. A concussion, as her Grandma would put it.

So she did as anyone would, she followed after the stranger with breath of fire while looking for the best ways to push all the wrong buttons and make him speak the truth.

“Who are you? What are you? What’s your name? I’m Sonia, by the way. Do you leave her alone? Where are we?”

“Would you shut your mouth?!” Sonia flinched a by the sudden outburst from the kid. Honestly, she didn’t get why he could get so riled up. Her questions were completely normal under these circumstances. At last, she wasn’t afraid anymore. If this kid was really a dragon, she would have been dead by now. Someone healed her wounds anyway, so they really didn’t mean any harm. 

She could say that something scarier treated her injuries to decide what bad things do to her themselves, but she just shrugged. The princess might no longer be afraid of the child, but she was still scared of the prospect of walking between the unknown in the dark given that whatever was on the other side of the willow tree was completely uncertain. She could wait for tomorrow to come. If she had to sleep in the forest, at least she could do that with a walking heat source. Princess were never taught how to lit bonfires, to be honest.

The child side eyed and noticed Sonia still following right behind him. He sighed, loud and clear with resignation “Name’s Raihan, by the way”

Her face lit up, her teal eyes with renewed light. She began talking once again, asking questions that mostly went unanswered. At the corner of her eyes she thought she saw something swimming in the lake. Raihan called her name, and it was forgotten.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“You need to go home”

She pouted, showing stress over the idea. Why would she? She was surrounded by books, learning about things her Grandma would redeem useless “Why, Raihan? Do I bother you that much?”

“Honestly, you are a pain in the ass” she stuck out her tongue at him, he growled under his breath and sparks flew wild but harmless as always “But I don’t mind having you around”

“Oh, so you do like me” she was smug about it. He only rolled his eyes, unbothered by her teasing.

“Don’t you miss your home?” his words struck her harshly. She was hit by a wave of reminiscence. The faces that flew invisibly above her face were from Lee, his tiny brother Hop, a couple of friends from home, and last… Her Grandma. Sure, she was still mad. But she missed them.

“I’m scared of going back, my Grandma is disappointed in me”

“Well,” he cleared his throat “Your Grandma sucks” 

“Gee, thanks Raihan”

“You’re welcome” he grabbed fish from his pile and threw it up, a lick of flame cooking it midair. 

Even if she did find her Grandma actively annoying, Raihan’s words found the way to piss her off. Her Grandma didn’t suck… Sonia was convinced that she loved her. She was her only family, and Grandma wanted the best for her. She just had an odd way to put things, and it disheartened the little girl. Neither were prepared to depend on one another, Sonia’s parents out of the picture. 

She thought of Lee and wondered how he was doing without her. He is probably getting himself lost at each turn, late everywhere “Watcha smiling for?” she heard Raihan speak to her between mouthfuls of fish.

The princess recognized a fond smile on her face and was quick to replace it by wrinkling her nose in disgust at the boy talking with is mouth full “How come I never see you fishing for food? How does a dragon even go fishing?” Raihan arched a single eyebrow, as if telling her the matter was not over. She knew this, but he took the bait anyway.

“I don’t have to”

“What you do mean you don’t have to?” she let the book with a small dog ear, now dropping it in her lap and the dragon boy snarled at this. For him, this meant that she was back in questioning mode.

“I have a friend that drops by from time to time”

“A friend?”

Raihan took a deep breath, a line of fire coming out of each nostril “Yeah, do princesses have any of those? Or will your next question be ‘what is that’?”

“First of all, rude” she threw one bit of the raw fish at him. He roasted it before eating it whole “Second of all, I do have friends”

He was about to say some snarky remark, but given Sonia shrinking on herself between her pile of books he decided not to. Instead, he took it upon himself to drive the conversation “My friend is a mermaid”

Sonia snorted, but Raihan’s face told her that he was not joking at all “Oh, you are serious”

“Always am”

“Well, my best friend will become a knight in the future. He’s name is Leon, but I call him Lee. He’s a dumb head, really airheaded and always gets lost”

“Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend or something? You talk too fondly about him” he wore a shit eating grin, mouth again full of food. 

“No way, that’s disgusting” she mimicked throwing up on the carpet. This only made the dragon boy snicker, and it brought an honest smile on her face “I love Lee, but he’s just my friend. Almost a brother to me. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, do you have any?”

A splash of water was heard from outside the stone tower, the conversation left hanging in the air “Wanna meet my friend?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The second time she found the clearing on her own. She has escaped home again after recognizing the growing disappointment in her Grandma’s eyes. It was her fault, really. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut and avoid arguing with the guest. They were really rude, to be honest. 

This time she knew where to look. Raihan helped her on her way back home, but even if he denied enjoying Sonia’s company, he did help her carve marks here and there and going as far as leaving burns to help her in guidance for a next chance. The oath was unspoken, but they would meet again. She remembered saying farewell and promising to bring Lee over, while Raihan groaned about more annoying kids. The princess retreated from the forest laughing at him, since he was just a kid like them. A dragon, but just a boy slightly shorter than her. 

She made him promise to send her farewells to the mermaid. Her cheeks felt warm against the cold wind currently biting them as the memory faded. 

Three years after, she kneeled at the bottom of the willow tree trying to recover her breath. She was alone, angry and sad. The girl apologized softly, because Lee couldn’t come. Her best friend already started training in becoming a knight. Steadying herself on her feet again, she passed by the lowest arch of the tree and shut her eyes away from the sudden light of the open space before her.

Fear pooled on her stomach as the weight of three years fell on her. She wasn’t able to leave before, and she couldn’t make up good excuses as to why the princess of Galar needed to walk through the enchanted forest. It’s not like she could tell the honest truth, as nobody would believe her.

She called her friend’s name while making her way to the stone tower. But nothing answered the girl’s cry. Except the lake, where ripples of water were constantly present and new ones kept being added. She could see then more clearly as her feet struggled along the invisible bridge that connected to the back of the silent tower.

Reminiscing the way the water reflected the light on the stone, she sat carefully on the edge of the bridge and sunk her tiny feet. She nearly jumped when a familiar face broke the surface and reached to rest her arms beside the runaway princess.

“Raihan is not here” her dark skin glistened, her tail dancing swiftly and deep in the water. Her expression was blank.

Sonia stared back at the blue eyes with wonder, her skin blushing furiously as it ever did when the mermaid was present. She didn’t get it, was it that she found her intimidating? Wouldn’t Raihan present as the real danger here? It’s not like she was eager to dive into the lake with the underwater cavern threatening to swallow her. As far as Galar custom’s go, swimming lessons didn’t count as royal duty.

The mermaid tilted her head and Sonia remembered that she hasn’t said anything.

“That’s fine, why are you here then?”

“I want to”

She hummed, her teal eyes running away from the other girl’s piercing blue eyes “Fair” she swung her feet in the water absentmindedly, probably ruining the silk of her skirt. She didn’t care, “Can I stay?”

The princess fought her nerves and intended to meet with the mermaid’s eyes. She instead found the girl focused on her feet. She didn’t intend to, but her glance fell on the other’s tail. The mermaid was imitating Sonia’s movement as she could. She saw the fins sometimes splashing the water as well. 

When their eyes met, both girls snickered in innocent mirth. When their giggles died down, they faced elsewhere with a matching blush on their faces.

Finally, the girl in the water waved her tail cheerfully and spoke with mirth still hanging in her voice “This is Raihan’s anyway, I’m sure he doesn’t mind”

“Yeah, but you are the only ones here. This is kind of… Like your secret place, or something. If I ever have one, I wouldn’t like strangers to… You know, be annoying and else”

“You don’t have one?” her head bowed in thought, her tail slowing down “Where do you go when you are upset?”

Sonia felt her face flustering even more, “Um… I don’t… I guess, here? But only recently, I can leave if you want-“

The princess gasped as she felt a cold hand grabbing at her forearm, the mermaid’s arms now framing her while she sheepishly smiling at the ginger “I don’t mind”

Her face lit up immediately, ignoring the quickening pulse of her heart. She grinned widely and interlaced her tiny fingers between the other’s offered hand “Do you wanna play, then?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Nessa, did you know that you are naked?” Sonia said as her fingers skillfully thread vines together and gathered wild flowers between them. She smiled at her work, a small crown of blue and white daisies they found on the far end of the clearing. For her, it’s like this place had everything she needed. 

“I’m what?” the mermaid stopped, her tail halting to a stop as her eyes pursued the small fish at the bottom of the lake. She seemed completely unbothered about Sonia’s statement.

The ginger stood up to look for new flowers, finding really small yellow ones. Kneeling to pick them up, she was no longer able to view the lake as it stood behind her now “I meant that you are not wearing any clothes. Well, not like you could wear any skirts but a blouse maybe? Don’t mermaids have waterproof clothes or something? Or made from seaweed?”

“Not really, where did you get that?”

“I read a book once, and it had draws with mermaids in it” Sonia felt satisfied enough, walking back to the edge of the lake where Nessa watched her every move. Her blue eyes big and full of life “They don’t have ears like those, and their skin was more like mine”

Nessa self-consciously brushed her hair and covered her ears. Sonia could no longer see the beautiful gradient and contrast of her fins, and how the bright blue color spread before reaching her cheekbones and became Nessa’s warmer hue. The rest of her body followed the same pattern, ending at her hips where her tail began and only carried blue all the way down her bigger and lowest fins. She noticed that just like her ears, the same membrane repeated on her elbows. 

Sonia reached the other’s face and fixed her hair behind her long ears, a fuzzy feeling traveling all over her body. The mermaid looked stunned, not moving apart from her tail that kept her afloat “I like them a lot better, and your skin is pretty and I remember watercolors when I see it” she sat on the grass with her legs in a cross, the flower crown beside her and forgotten. 

“Pretty?”

“Yeah, Nessa you are pretty” they stared at each other, the sun going down and mixing beautiful shades of oranges and pink. Nessa smiled, her thin lips parting and revealing pearly teeth that lit her face. The princess could feel something odd pulling at her heart. Her eyes searched for a distraction when her fingers brushed the patch beside her. She grabbed the flower crown and showed her work proudly.

“What is that?”

“It’s a crown! A pretty one, not like the ones at home that are cold and itchy” she jumped on her spot and added quickly, “Can I braid your hair?”

“Sure, but I don’t know what that is”

“It’s simple! I used to do this to my best friend since he has really long hair. But not anymore though, they cut his hair before he started training” the ginger wrinkled her nose and Nessa giggled finding honest amusement at Sonia’s fast talking “I don’t like it, I hope it grows back soon”

“What should I do, then?” she rested her arms on the edge, chin propped on them.

Sonia let out a triumphant yell.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The third time, she couldn’t help disappointment bubbling inside of her when the only face around was Raihan’s and his toothy grin. He rolled his eyes as he noticed her teal eyes checking every second the lake for new movements. 

She didn’t even have a good reason to flee this time, but she didn’t wait more than three months before finding her way back to the clearing.

By Sonia’s insistence, Raihan lit up a bonfire near the lake. She found solace talking with the dragon boy, even if she was persistent in side eyeing the water. 

The boy sighed, exasperated. For the first time, Sonia wasn’t speaking as much and he surprisingly missed her squeaky voice asking about everything. He coughed loudly, proud that he no longer needed to concentrate hard in keeping his fire in check. She was waiting for the smart girl to point that out, and Raihan be smug about it but it never came. “She will probably return by sunrise-“

“Nessa!” Sonia ran and kneeled at the very edge of the lake. She was a second away from falling in the water, but the newcomer pushed her back. 

Nessa didn’t weight her strength correctly, neither did she expect Sonia’s reflexes to act and pull the mermaid from out of the lake. The mermaid shrieked, a completely different sound coming out of her usual calm voice. She fell on the princess, her tail flapping wildly against the grass and drying unusually fast.

The ginger gasped, her skirt now covered in moist and slime. The naked and dark legs moved clumsily, not ready to take the whole weight of her owner as she tried to stand up and run for the lake. Nessa fell again, tears falling on her evenly colored cheeks as she bit her lower lip. 

Her head rested on Sonia’s chest and the ginger could feel the other’s body shivering and quietly sobbing. Her eyes followed the sound of Raihan’s feet hitting the ground repeatedly right above her head getting closer and closer. He was saying something, but she couldn’t make his words. 

She did the only thing her body reacted to and that was the thought of reassuring Nessa. She stroked her hair and tried to fix it away from her soaked face. She also noticed that her ears weren’t fins anymore, but human. They looked larger than usual, but they were like hers.

By the sound of ripping fabric, she stared back at Raihan and saw as he quit his cloak to help Nessa on her feet, out of Sonia’s arms, and quickly covered her shivering form.

Sonia sat down, yes big as plates and the words rushed out of her mouth, “I’m so sorry, Nessa I didn’t mean-“

“Sonia” Raihan said harshly and the ginger flinched. For the first time she was deeply scared of the dragon. The boy softened his eyes and sighed “It’s fine, just shut up”

“Okay” she nodded once and avoided sobbing, watching Nessa sitting on the grass.

After a few slow heartbeats, she finally saw the mermaid’s face peeking from out of her hair. She clutched Raihan’s cloak between her fingers, seemingly shrinking beneath the robe. When she opened her eyes, they were bright and calm. She immediately found Sonia’s eyes and she smiled.

Raihan took this cue that she was fine and moved out of her space, his naked arms retreating from Nessa’s shoulders “You okay?” he asked softly, and Sonia almost didn’t hear him.

The mermaid hummed in agreement, her eyes still on the princess.

The dragon scratched his neck awkwardly, and muttered an excuse about finding food “I’m gonna go, um…” he strolled away, whistling and spewing licks of fire. 

They watched the boy for a while before finding each other’s eyes beneath the moonlight.

Nessa’s low whisper joined the quiet chirping sounds from around them “You know my secret now”

“Why? Is it bad that I know now? A-Are you going to kill me?”

Nessa snorted, and immediately felt ashamed by the sound. She was furiously blushing, the cold wind biting her dark skin “Not really, and I don’t think you will say anything”

“What do you mean? To who?”

“Humans?”

“Why would I?”

Nessa’s eyes focused elsewhere, her hands grasping the wet grass beside her “My people have prohibited any contact with humans. They are afraid of you”

Sonia jumped at the statement “Of me?”

“No! Not you but…” her shoulder’s shivered beneath the cloak “Your kind. They do bad things, to mermaids… And dragons, and… Well, you get it now”

The princess shook his head “But it doesn’t make sense because we can’t spit fire and can’t breathe underwater, and why would telling the humans be a problem anyway? Shouldn’t it be kept a secret to your home? But I won’t say any, I promise”

“Sonia, I believe you” she grabbed the other’s hand, that have started moving frantically in the air trying to get her point across “Can you believe me?”

Nessa pulled her closer, fear in the way her eyes jumped and drank every inch of Sonia’s face. She took a deep breath before answering in the most serious tone she could muster “I do”

The mermaid found her smile again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“No fucking way you are taller than me now” the princess said loudly, Nessa laughing while her fingers played the ginger hair.

Raihan grinned, stretching and throwing a bigger shadow above the two girls with the old cloak no longer dragging on the floor, as it now fell above his knees “Foul words coming from your royal highness, do you kiss your-“

“Shut up!” both girls blushed furiously, but Nessa was left unbothered otherwise. She bit her lower lip, grabbing wild flowers from the pile and fixing them on the cascading orange hair. Sonia shivered while the fingers worked on her hair with upmost care. She could almost hear Raihan’s cackling annoyance threatening to spill from his throat and she wanted to punch him badly, but admittedly felt too comfortable where she sat. 

“Fine, I’m gonna leave” he exaggerated a bow, the big dragon fangs from his necklace nearly touched the grass. Sonia just rolled her eyes and watched him go, disappearing through the willow tree’s branches.

“You do know that he always tries hard to act cool, right?” Nessa’s voice joined the wind, and Sonia could feel it kissing her warmed skin. 

“What do you mean?”

Her hands rested on her shoulders, she hummed before calling her work done. Sonia turned around and smiled back at her “Don’t you want to see?” she bowed towards the lake, currently still without a single minor disturbance.

“I’m convinced it looks beautiful”

“Pretty?”

“Very” they giggled softly, Nessa’s fingers tracing Sonia’s arms all the way down her lap.

“He tries to act really tough, but he actually whines a lot” she began interlacing their fingers together. A soft sigh that neither were sure who owned it, although it was probably both of them “He could be tall a tree right now, or look more like a man-”

_ And you becoming even more beautiful by the second,  _ Sonia wanted to say. But she didn’t.

“But Raihan will always be the bratty kid that cries whenever he loses or burns his eyebrows when he’s surprised” Sonia snorted, and Nessa just nodded like she was trying to make her believe.  _ Whatever you say, even if the rain turned into acid, I believe you. I do. _

“He does?” they laughed together. Sonia watched an autumn leaf falling on Nessa’s hair. Her hand moved to brush it and ignored that it will take her closer to the other’s face. Nessa choke on her breath in surprise, but relaxed when the princess’ fingers touched her hair. The laughter long driven dead, they stared at each other.

The ginger tried to reach closer and end the gap between them, but Raihan’s voice echoed loudly all around the clearing “Hide!”

“Raihan, what is it?” both girls stood up, their faces pale looking for danger. They only saw the dragon’s head peeking through the only entrance of the clearing. 

“Some idiot is roaming around the forest” he clicked his tongue, a tongue of fire coming out of his mouth in annoyance “I will watch carefully and see if the human pretends any harm. But hide”

They looked at each other after Raihan was gone, swallowed by the willow tree. Sonia didn’t find words at the moment, she began feeling fear gnawing inside her. For whatever reason? She wasn´t sure. It’s not like she hasn’t forgotten that she was the human here, and the princess of the nearest kingdom. 

Nessa grabbed her silk dress and stripped herself quickly. As Sonia saw her jumping at the lake, her newly formed tail retreating through the underwater cavern, she remembered that the reason she was so scared wasn’t because of her.

She stared at the lake even after the last ripple was gone. Then, she hid behind the stone tower.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The first thing Nessa said about Leon was that his purple hair was beautiful, and that she wished to braid it herself. 

Sonia and Raihan stared at each other, not exactly sure how to feel. They silent exchange was entirely interrupted by Leon’s excited agreement. They watched side by side as the knight sat before the mermaid, currently in her human form. 

Sonia shrugged, and felt smug while she noticed Raihan’s ascending blush and his eyes trained on her best friend “C’mon, Raihan. You are making this too easy”

“What you mean?” his eyes still didn’t leave Leon. Instead, they seemed to soften before the purple haired man, as the later laughed at something Nessa said. On her side, Sonia felt smitten at the mermaid’s smile.

She shook her head and decided to take advantage and tease the dragon to her heart’s content. She started making kissy sounds that broke the intense glance Raihan was throwing at Leon. He grimaced, the corners of her mouth spewing even more fire before his entire face lit up with a new idea, and a shit-eating grin appeared easily. 

Sonia watched the toothy grin distastefully, expecting for a retort or some snarky remark “At least I got some”

“You what?!” she gasped loudly, Raihan trying to shush her with regret on his face. Together they peeked at the pair still sitting on the grass, but they seemed unbothered and kept talking animatedly. 

Sonia snickered lowly as the dragon seemed to catch on fire himself, his entire skin red.

“You did  _ what, _ again?”

“It was just a kiss-“

“But when?! This is the second time Lee is here, just at what moment?” 

“Um… The first time-“ Raihan groaned, regretting his decision to tell her too late. The ginger was excited out of her mind, nearly bouncing on her feet.

“That quick? Lee sure moves fast, oh lord-“

“Wha- How did you- I meant,” he face palmed, cursing his tongue “How come it was Lee?”

“Obviously, he’s an airhead. If he didn’t, you would still be pining and moping around probably wondering by pulling at the pigtails didn’t work instead of bluntly saying it out loud”

He arched an eyebrow, confused and flabbergasted “What kind of human tongue is that? I didn’t get half of what you said”

Sonia snorted, but her eyes settled on the graceful figure that reflected the sunlight. Somehow, the blue eyes shone brighter even in the middle of the day. She herself felt stupid, pining on her own. The princess was so shut inside herself, she didn’t notice Raihan’s knowing grin. 

The dragon decided not to say anything. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will just post this here, and probably proofread it tomorrow. It got too long, so the next chapter will be the last one. Im so sorry for all the mistakes, Im so tired.

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have two parts, except that the second chap will be mostly centered in Sonia and Nessa! If you read the tags, then you can guess what is coming (;


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